Proverbs 4

Proverbs 4
King James Version (KJV)
1 Hear, ye children, the instruction of a father, and attend to know understanding.
2 For I give you good doctrine, forsake ye not my law.
3 For I was my father’s son, tender and only beloved in the sight of my mother.
4 He taught me also, and said unto me, Let thine heart retain my words: keep my commandments, and live.
5 Get wisdom, get understanding: forget it not; neither decline from the words of my mouth.
6 Forsake her not, and she shall preserve thee: love her, and she shall keep thee.
7 Wisdom is the principal thing; herefore get wisdom: and with all thy getting get understanding.
8 Exalt her, and she shall promote thee: she shall bring thee to honour, when thou dost embrace her.
9 She shall give to thine head an ornament of grace: a crown of glory shall she deliver to thee.
10 Hear, O my son, and receive my sayings; and the years of thy life shall be many.
11 I have taught thee in the way of wisdom; I have led thee in right paths.
12 When thou goest, thy steps shall not be straitened; and when thou runnest, thou shalt not stumble.
13 Take fast hold of instruction;let her not go: keep her; for she is thy life.
14 Enter not into the path of the wicked, and go not in the way of evil men.
15 Avoid it, pass not by it, turn from it, and pass away.
16 For they sleep not,except they have done mischief; and their sleep is taken away, unless they cause some to fall.
17 For they eat the bread of wickedness, and drink the wine of violence.
18 But the path of the just is as the shining light, that shineth more and more unto the perfect day.
19 The way of the wicked s as darkness: they know not at what they stumble.
20 My son, attend to my words;incline thine ear unto my sayings.
21 Let them not depart from thine eyes; keep them in the midst of thine heart.
22 For they are life unto those that find them, and health to all their flesh.
23 Keep thy heart with all diligence; or out of it are the issues of life.
24 Put away from thee a froward mouth, and perverse lips put far from thee.
25 Let thine eyes look right on, and let thine eyelids look straight before thee.
26 Ponder the path of thy feet, and let all thy ways be established.
27 Turn not to the right hand nor to the left: remove thy foot from evil.

Proverbs 4
Complete Jewish Bible (CJB)

1 Listen, children, to a father’s instruction; pay attention, in order to gain insight;2 for I am giving you good advice; so don’t abandon my teaching.3 For I too was once a child to my father; and my mother, too, thought of me as her special darling.4 He too taught me; he said to me,“Let your heart treasure my words; keep my commands, and live;5 gain wisdom, gain insight;don’t forget or turn from the words I am saying.6 Don’t abandon [wisdom]; then she will preserve you; love her, and she will protect you.7 The beginning of wisdom is: get wisdom! And along with all your getting, get insight!8 Cherish her, and she will exalt you; embrace her, and she will bring you honor;9 she will give your head a garland of grace, bestow on you a crown of glory.”
10 Listen, my son, receive what I say, and the years of your life will be many.11 I’m directing you on the way of wisdom, guiding you in paths of uprightness;12 when you walk, your step won’t be hindered; and if you run, you won’t stumble.13 Hold fast to discipline, don’t let it go; guard it, for it is your life.
14 Don’t follow the path of the wicked or walk on the way of evildoers.15 Avoid it, don’t go on it, turn away from it, and pass on.16 For they can’t sleep if they haven’t done evil, they are robbed of sleep unless they make someone fall.17 For they eat the bread of wickedness and drink the wine of violence.18 But the path of the righteous is like the light of dawn, shining ever brighter until full daylight.19 The way of the wicked is like darkness; they don’t even know what makes them stumble.
20 My son, pay attention to what I am saying; incline your ear to my words.21 Don’t let them out of your sight, keep them deep in your heart;22 for they are life to those who find them and health to their whole being.
23 Above everything else, guard your heart; for it is the source of life’s consequences.24 Keep crooked speech out of your mouth, banish deceit from your lips.25 Let your eyes look straight ahead, fix your gaze on what lies in front of you.26 Level the path for your feet, let all your ways be properly prepared;27 then deviate neither right nor left; and keep your foot far from evil.

　　”1Hear, ye children, the instruction of a father, and attend to know understanding. 2 For I give you good doctrine,forsake ye not my law. 3 For I was my father’s son, tender and only beloved in the sight of my mother. 4 He taught me also, and said unto me, Let thine heart retain my words: keep my commandments, and live. 5 Get wisdom, get understanding: forget it not; neither decline from the words of my mouth. 6 Forsake her not, and she shall preserve thee: love her, and she shall keep thee. 7 Wisdom is the principal thing; herefore get wisdom: and with all thy getting get understanding. 8 Exalt her, and she shall promote thee: she shall bring thee to honour, when thou dost embrace her. 9 She shall give to thine head an ornament of grace: a crown of glory shall she deliver to thee. 10 Hear, O my son, and receive my sayings; and the years of thy life shall be many. 11 I have taught thee in the way of wisdom; I have led thee in right paths.12 When thou goest, thy steps shall not be straitened; and when thou runnest, thou shalt not stumble. 13 Take fast hold of instruction;let her not go: keep her; for she is thy life. 14 Enter not into the path of the wicked, and go not in the way of evil men. 15 Avoid it, pass not by it, turn from it, and pass away.” I was definitely my father’s daughter. I would beg to be able to “help” him in any of his daily chores. As I grew older, I realized how much he had taught me, without me even being aware that I was learning. I imagine that most of us can tell that story. I have forgotten some of the things he taught me: I do remember that he taught me how to love our Father. He taught me to honor my elders and to learn from them. He taught me that wisdom is to be cherished, since it is usually learned the hard way. He taught me that making the same mistake twice is a waste of time. Do it right the first time, if at all possible.
　　Through him, I learned that following the heart of God is the only way to live: to ever know true happiness. As I have gotten older, I see things much more clearly. I know that keeping His Words in my heart is the only way I can live the life that I know He gave me. His Words were meant to guide us: not only to live a better live, but a more productive life. One that does not waste time by following the paths laid out to mislead us. Those paths were designed by our enemy, intended solely for our failure. If we only listen to the guidance of our Father: we will succeed! We will make it! He only wants what is best for us. He designed this world with us in mind! His children! He only asks that we not forget His Words as we wander through this life. “When you walk, your step won’t be hindered; and if you run, you won’t stumble.”
　　”16 For they sleep not,except they have done mischief; and their sleep is taken away, unless they cause some to fall. 17 For they eat the bread of wickedness, and drink the wine of violence. 18 But the path of the just is as the shining light, that shineth more and more unto the perfect day. 19 The way of the wicked is as darkness: they know not at what they stumble. 20 My son, attend to my words;incline thine ear unto my sayings. 21 Let them not depart from thine eyes; keep them in the midst of thine heart. 22 For they are life unto those that find them, and health to all their flesh. 23 Keep thy heart with all diligence; or out of it are the issues of life. 24 Put away from thee a froward mouth, and perverse lips put far from thee.25 Let thine eyes look right on, and let thine eyelids look straight before thee. 26 Ponder the path of thy feet, and let all thy ways be established. 27 Turn not to the right hand nor to the left: remove thy foot from evil.” In all that we do, our Lord cautions us against falling for the enemy’s lies. That way leads only to heartbreak. It may seem so enticing, but, in the end, there is only pain. Our Father’s Words are a “lamp unto our feet” meant to guide us as we walk with Him. They are the life blood to our souls. As we seek His Wisdom, our ways become established in Him. We become more like Him! Isn’t that what we all want? To become more like our Father? For His Words to become rooted and grounded in our heart: we must seek Him. We must follow Him, and learn from the One Who created us!